Some participants in the 2011 “From Classroom to Courtroom” program pictured with Justice Henry duPont Ridgely.

June 2011 saw another successful year for the Supreme Court’s “From Classroom to Courtroom” program. Eleven middle and high school teachers from across the State participated in the three-day externship program offered through the University of Delaware. Participants gained detailed information about the court system which they then take back to their schools and apply to their civics curriculum. This year’s program included presentations by several members of the Judiciary, including Family Court Judge William L. Chapman Jr., Superior Court Judge Mary M. Johnston and Justice of the Peace Court Judge Susan Cline. Jeff Curley, Esq., Executive Director, Our Courts, iCivics, Inc., from Georgetown University Law Center, gave a demonstration on iCivics -- a web-based education program begun by retired Supreme Court of the United States Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that provides teachers with material to promote civics education. Additionally, the teachers were given an overview of the New Castle County Courthouse as well as the Court’s information and technology system, including an introduction to the Judiciary’s website. Discussions on issues relating to the death penalty, led by Assistant Public Defender Edmund Hillis and Deputy Attorney General Paul Wallace, were also part of the program. The externship culminated in a morning of Supreme Court arguments followed by a luncheon with the Supreme Court Justices at which the teachers were presented with Certificates of Participation as well as signed copies of The Delaware State Constitution, authored by Justice Randy J. Holland.